What would the Goddess Isis call on us to do as ISIS -- the militant terrorist group -- threatens to bulldoze our global cultural heritage?
Goddess. Enchantress. Instructress. Protectress. Considered the divine Mother Goddess of Ancient Egypt, Isis was the throne upon which all pharaohs sat and received their powers. Superior to all other Gods, Isis was the giver of life. She represented motherhood as well as strength, flight as well as rebirth, purity as well as mystery. She was an incarnation of the feminine aspect of the creative force of life and power. Her throne was the foundation of a civilization, as were her principles of Right, Truth, and Justice. Ancient sculptures often depicted her with outstretched wings. Others, breastfeeding her son Horus, God of War, a singular representation that was later appropriated by Christianity as Mary and the baby Jesus.
For Goddess on Earth, Crystal Johnson, an environmental strategist and founder of ISES (Integrative Sustainability & Environmental Solutions) portrayed the Goddess Isis. To accompany her portrait, Crystal wrote:
Life is a beautiful journey for our soul's experience and expansion. By aligning with Isis energy, I find that regardless of what is happening around me, I feel a great sense of peace, clarity, guidance, protection and love. That is comforting especially while the collective consciousness of humanity is at the current level and the resultant changes are occurring on Earth.
Crimes to our sacred history are tragically being committed by a different ISIS; an acronym for Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
Less than two months ago the ISIS militants invaded Nineveh, one of the oldest cities in antiquity. Nineveh contains over 1800 important archeological sites and is forever woven into history as a major center for the worship of the Assyrian Goddess Ishtar. The ISIS occupation of Nineveh poses a disastrous threat to these sacred sites "...the virtual certainty, in fact -- is that irreplaceable history will be annihilated or sold into the netherworld of corrupt and cynical collectors," wrote Christopher Dickey on July 7 in his Daily Beast article, "ISIS is About to Destroy Biblical History in Iraq." Disturbing news of this rampage surfaced on July 25, when militants leveled the tomb of Jonah, a site of holy pilgrimage.
"Increase public awareness of the situation!" was the plea to come out of the July 8 panel discussion "The Implications of the Current Fighting for Iraq's Cultural Heritage." A vocal, critical mass of public opinion is our only hope for saving our global heritage.
In this decisive time before the imminent destruction of our common sacred sites, let us all call upon the protective guidance of Isis: the oldest of the old, mother of all mothers and The All-Seeing Eye. Let us reclaim the true name and meaning of Isis. With lightning speed, let us spread our collective wings, awaken the world to the crimes being committed and raise the roof before it's too late.
For more information on Goddess on Earth, visit the project's web site, Facebook or Twitter page. Buy the limited edition, artist made book here.